Indoor recreation, nature center eyed in Burlington parks master plan

By Molly McGowan

Published: Saturday, December 8, 2012 at 04:50 PM.

He said the public was also in favor of building an indoor recreation center or gym on the west side of the city, and was interested in an environmental education/nature museum in the area. Armani explained the center, much like those in
Durham
,
Charlotte
and
Raleigh
, would be exhibit and education space for school-age children to learn about environmental sciences.

“It’s more geared toward activity,” said Tony Laws, director of Recreation and Parks. He explained those centers are built in cities for children who may not get as much hands-on nature experience as children living in rural areas.

Residents responding to the survey and focus groups also recommended walkways and multiuse paths connecting the parks and neighborhoods, and improving the drainage af
Springwood
Park
fields, Armani said.

Laws wasn’t surprised. He said in the spring season, there were several complaints about the fields not drying after rains, because of inadequate drainage.

Ultimately, Woolpert recommended
Burlington
work on partnering with other agencies and groups to develop special facilities, add a new community park south of Interstate 40/85, establish two more neighborhood parks in the west and southwest areas of the city, improve pedestrian travel, and add multipurpose trails.

“Along the city’s edge, along the
Haw River
, there’s about 8 miles,” for greenways or bikeways, Armani said.

Laws agreed a park south of the interstate should be a priority, since there are only two marinas in that part of the city.

That’s why Burlington’s Recreation and Parks Comprehensive Master Plan was revisited by planning consultants who recommend building an environmental education center, adding community and neighborhood parks and focusing on pedestrian and trail improvements between now and 2022.

Last updated in 1994, the master plan was revisited by Woolpert North Carolina, PLLC, whose recent findings and recommendations were presented to the city council and staff last week.

Carl Armani, park planner project manager with Woolpert, said a needs assessment was based on focus group interviews, public meetings, a survey and review of existing standards, and showed Burlington parks users valued the facilities and programming, but also had suggestions.

He said of the 305 people who took the survey, 85 percent said the Recreation and Parks Department’s contributions to quality of life were “very important,” and an additional 14 percent said they were “somewhat important.”

“Overall, what we got were positive comments about (Recreation and Parks) and how it represents Burlington,” Armani said.

He said the public was also in favor of building an indoor recreation center or gym on the west side of the city, and was interested in an environmental education/nature museum in the area. Armani explained the center, much like those in Durham, Charlotte and Raleigh, would be exhibit and education space for school-age children to learn about environmental sciences.

“It’s more geared toward activity,” said Tony Laws, director of Recreation and Parks. He explained those centers are built in cities for children who may not get as much hands-on nature experience as children living in rural areas.

Residents responding to the survey and focus groups also recommended walkways and multiuse paths connecting the parks and neighborhoods, and improving the drainage af SpringwoodPark fields, Armani said.

Laws wasn’t surprised. He said in the spring season, there were several complaints about the fields not drying after rains, because of inadequate drainage.

Ultimately, Woolpert recommended Burlington work on partnering with other agencies and groups to develop special facilities, add a new community park south of Interstate 40/85, establish two more neighborhood parks in the west and southwest areas of the city, improve pedestrian travel, and add multipurpose trails.

“Along the city’s edge, along the Haw River, there’s about 8 miles,” for greenways or bikeways, Armani said.

Laws agreed a park south of the interstate should be a priority, since there are only two marinas in that part of the city.

“That’s an area that’s really been missed,” he said. “There’s not a park facility or athletic fields.”

As City Manager Harold Owen reiterated, the Recreation and Parks Comprehensive Master Plan update through 2022 is a guideline for the future — nothing is set in stone.

He said if the city were ever to pursue an environmental education center, it’d have to be a joint effort, possibly with the county. And an indoor facility would be the other “big ticket item,” since it would require staffing additions, Owen said.

“We have to take a hard look at what we really need,” he said. “You have to be able to maintain what you build.”